Scrapers, Aggregators and sites like HuffPo get a lot of stick. I think we have to hold our noses and defend them. (I also think we probably have to stop holding our noses.) Read more – ‘Defending Copy, Paste & Plagiarism’.
We're well into a post-pareto period of UI design. We need more command line interfaces. They would be a step forward, not back. We need more verbs, captain. Read more – ‘Verby Interfaces’.
Wadsworth all the Things! Responsive design and Mobile First are cool, but they don't go far enough. Coffee may have been involved in the construction of this post. Boiing!!!! Read more – ‘Wadsworth First!’.
A school can encourage kids to play (and get healthy) simply by painting lines on a playground. What might that mean for adults and at work? Read more – ‘Paint the Cowpaths’.
Our building materials have changed. This is an irrevocable change, short of some apocalyptic event or techno-jihad. Read more – ‘Solid State Vernacular’.
The right word for interactive is 'unfinished'. Unfinished stuff is powerful. So, in lots of cases, is being wrong. Being usefully wrong is a mightily underrated skill. Read more – ‘The right word is unfinished’.
Interactions — on any platform — are about verbs. We. Need. More. Verbs. If we're going to have better interactions. Read more – ‘We need more verbs!’.
[callout]The second of a two-parter on “Digital Natives”. The first part is about why I think they exist. This one’s about why I think it’s dangerous to deny their existence.[/callout] [headline]Stereotypes[/headline] As a man, one of the things I find irritating is the way that some women assume that I’m incapable of looking after children. [...] Read more – ‘Myths of Digital Natives’.
[callout]I wrote bits of this six months ago so the beginning refers to something as if it happened a couple of days before. Which it did. This is a two-parter. In which I explain why I think, although the term itself is – to put it mildly – suspect , “digital natives” do, in fact, [...] Read more – ‘Natives’.
[callout]This post is for the awesome Purpos/ed project kick-off. It’s a day late. Because the dog ate it. What is the purpose of education?[/callout] All abstract nouns are weasel words. I’m with Brenda Dervin here — nouns freeze reality for the purposes of control. brainwash*, brief, civilize, coach, cultivate, develop, discipline, drill, drum into, edify, [...] Read more – ‘The Purpose of Education’.
Kindergarten kids solve some engineering problems nearly as well as engineers and architects. What are they doing right? And what are the engineers doing wrong? Read more – ‘Every project has a marshmallow’.
[callout]This is the first part of a new Weak Signals series. Weak Signals is futurological jargon. Like a lot of jargon, it, you know, has a specific meaning above and beyond weak signals. If you’re not sure what it means, you might like to get a quick heads-up from our Weak Signals topic page. The [...] Read more – ‘Weak Signals 1: Real-Time Activism and Spimey Happy People’.
[callout]This post doesn’t make much sense if you don’t read the quotations too.[/callout] [headline h="3"]Painting by Numbers[sub_title]Theory vs Practice[/sub_title][/headline] [quote cite="Albert Einstein"]It’s the theory that decides what can be observed.[/quote] Einstein shows us why it’s theory versus practice. The one determines the other. Theory allows us to focus our attention more narrowly than we otherwise [...] Read more – ‘Theory vs Practice’.
This is Part 1 in the Semi-science series.1 Here’s a summary of the Baldwin Effect, where I’ve taken a couple of liberties. Because I couldn’t think of a better way to put it and I don’t understand the science well enough. The Baldwin Effect is basically a feedback loop. An individual learns a Good Thing. [...] Read more – ‘Semi-science: Baldwin Effects’.
[callout]Two alternatives to Happy Sheets.[/callout] We all know Happy Sheets are rubbish. Everybody still uses them, though. Partly, because they’re easy. Partly, because our clients (and ‘delegates’ too) expect it. And partly, because we secretly think ‘rubbish data is better than no data’. The standard Level 1 Kirkpatrick Happy Sheet is based on a Likert [...] Read more – ‘Happy Sheets’.
[callout]This is an open letter to everybody who I’ll ever work with. There’s a difference between outcomes and outputs, goals and tasks, aims and objectives. I’m your fairly average goalish person.[/callout] [headline h="2"]No Exceptions[sub_title]Not even the ones that prove the rule[/sub_title][/headline] At some point, on every project, you will have to have That Conversation. Sometimes, if [...] Read more – ‘That Conversation’.
This is a talk I gave the other day at Reading Geek. It’s about: Education and Training for Cyborgs It might not make much sense (though I’ve done quite a lot of editing to add captions so it does make some sense – I’ve also removed all references to personal stories and things which relied [...] Read more – ‘Educating Cyborgs’.
[callout]A quick notice for people who come here often.[/callout] I’m planning on posting here quite a bit more than usual. This is bound to annoy some of you. And please others. Not more ‘writing’, as such. But I will do quite a lot more collecting and collating all the stuff I post elsewhere. There will [...] Read more – ‘Working Blog: Give me Friction’.
[callout]Here’s something which pushes all my buttons. It’s about Digital Learning. And it comes via one of those advertisingish designery people. Education and Training are often guilty of the View from Nowhere. Which, if nothing else, is very boring. (I suppose this post is also a defence of the word ‘curation’, which I know some [...] Read more – ‘Points of View’.
I started a new Instructional Design project last week. It’s my favourite kind of project with just the right mix of playfulness (Ilinx with a bit of mimesis, if you want to get technical). It’s made me think, a lot. Here’s three things I’ve thunk: [headline]1. Digital Learning[/headline] It’s no longer useful to think of [...] Read more – ‘Digital Learning and Splayd Learning’.
[callout]How Performance Support will eat your learning’s lunch for breakfast.[/callout] I need to learn a little CSS . . . Somebody said yesterday, “I’ve been meaning to learn a little CSS.” They’re not happy with their blog. It needs tweaking. So they need to learn CSS. (What is CSS? Most websites have a ‘Style Sheet’ [...] Read more – ‘Learning through Implementation Intentions’.
David Gurteen shares this: Top 50 Knowledge Management blogs It’s from Biz-gasm (‘We put the “O” in business’) and, although it has a slight whiff of linkbait, it’s a useful introduction to a range of Knowledge Management blogs. Or, at least, it could be. The best way to read blogs is via an RSS Reader. [...] Read more – ‘How to write a Top Blogs post, properly’.
Ingenesist Harold Jarche sent me to Ingenesist via The Twitter. They’re a bunch of people working on the “Next Economic Paradigm”. But don’t let that put you off. There’s a whole bunch of interesting ideas there. And most of them are just this side of bonkers. [hr] [toggle_content h="2" title="A sample of almost-but-not-quite bonkers ideas [...] Read more – ‘Zertify – a community taxonomy for learning’.
[callout]In January, a few of us are going to start something called: The Learning Experience Digest We’d like your help.[/callout] Use Case 1: the evidence So, you’re on The Twitter or somewhere having a conversation with other learning geeks and somebody says something interesting. And you ask, can I have a link with that? Because [...] Read more – ‘Hit the Stacks!’.
[callout]I’m jealous of people working in advertising.[/callout] I have a professional crush on somebody called Russell Davies. He works in what we would probably call ‘advertising’. I saw him talk at a conference called Playful in 2009. He talked about Barely Games and I learned more about my job there than I did at any [...] Read more – ‘Account Planners: how I fell in love with advertising’.
[callout]Attention is a big thing for those working with knowledge, communication and learning. How do you measure it? And why? This one’s a bit messy – only recommended for people who are interested in Attention or regulars.[/callout] [headline h="3"]Attention[/headline] I tweeted this ages ago (on my ‘personal’ Twitter): [blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/siibo/status/4000821998"] A couple of interesting pieces [...] Read more – ‘What’s the base unit of Attention?’.
[callout]Five short pieces, loosely joined. Many organisations would like to find more Mozarts, or nurture their own Beatles. But they are doing it wrong.[/callout] [headline h="3"]1. Dominyms (Part 1)[/headline] In Egypt, they serve something called fiteer: There’s also what Egyptians translate as “Egyptian pizzas,” which should perhaps just be referred to as fiteer as they appear to [...] Read more – ‘Dominyms (or why Mozart and the Beatles matter for business)’.
This expands on a theme I began with Sexier Skunkworks. People who talk about the ‘right’ way to do just about anything are often idiots. [blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/warkmalsh/statuses/8100154594824192"] Tim Kastelle (who I seem to link to in just about every post – and who just hates link posts) writes a list post, Ten Tensions in Innovation [...] Read more – ‘Sexier Organisations’.
[callout]It will be easy to pick holes in the following. I’m mostly playing to see if it works. I think it does. And that it applies to people like Technical Authors and Communications people too.[/callout] I’m not working on anything particular at the moment and I find myself thinking about the ‘Future of the Learning, [...] Read more – ‘Engineering Performance Support vs Crafting Learning’.
[callout]Teacher training and Training for Trainer courses are mostly rubbish. There, I’ve said it. But, happily, I’m not going to talk about that here.1 (Not directly, anyway. The discerning reader will see where I’m going with this. A nod’s as good as a wink etc)[/callout] Yesterday, it was #jiscel10 and lots of people on The [...] Read more – ‘Assessment for Learning (Professionals)’.
[callout]Learning & Development people should do more to make themselves obsolete. Warning: mild cynicism ahead.[/callout] [headline h="3"]Diversity Training and Mangrove Islands[/headline] If a tree is seen growing on an island, which do you suppose came first? It is natural (and usually correct) to assume that the island provided the fertile soil in which a lucky [...] Read more – ‘Chinese Training and Design Thinking’.
[callout]This is an observation on the TSA/backscatter story by somebody who knows very little about airport security. So there may be some basic errors. The analogy with a happy work environment stands, though.[/callout] Shut up and be scanned “The airport security devices may be intrusive, but they’re also a necessary evil.” This is how the [...] Read more – ‘Stress at airports is dumb (Managers take note)’.
This is part 2 of the notes on a talk I gave at Technical Communications UK 2010. Part 1: Why are boring books better than boring eLearning? [callout]Sometimes you have to break things to make them work. This idea is something I’ve labelled ‘wabi-sabi’, for want of a better term. If you’re not sure what [...] Read more – ‘Wabi-sabi and learning Part 2’.
I earwigged into a conversation on The Twitter yesterday between Rachel Happe and Paula Thornton. And invited myself in. Paula ended up writing a blog post, E2.0: Looking for Goldilocks, which, typically, is full of win. And helped me articulate this. Note: if you’re an L & D head, you might not know what E2.0 [...] Read more – ‘What’s your simplicity?’.
[callout]There was a great post on The Chronicle of Higher Education website about cheating at university I read yesterday. It got me thinking about educational signalling and how universities, as we know them, are, like training departments, as we know them, as doomed as newspapers, in the long run. And for exactly the same reasons. [...] Read more – ‘Hire Education’.
[headline h="3"]Positive Negativity[/headline] One thing I’ve noticed about working with groups is that starting out in a negative frame of mind is often a good way to get started. Let me explain. I was working with a group on setting up a sort of Community of Practice. We didn’t call it a CLIP because, to be [...] Read more – ‘How to sabotage your organisation for fun and profit’.
[callout]Discussion of the ‘Future of Work and Learning’ seems to revolve around the polarised viewpoints of the revolted and the revolting. But, recently, I’ve been reading a lot of stuff from ‘mainstream’ Training and Development people that – whisper it – makes a lot of sense. Maybe all this revolutionary Enterprise 2.0 talk is just [...] Read more – ‘What revolution looks like’.
[callout]I had a few meetings last week where agreement turned out to be literally impossible. I wrote this on another blog a year ago. I’m moving it over here for safekeeping.[/callout] Red state, blue state Is there a correlation between your views on taxation and the amount of fear you will seek to instill in [...] Read more – ‘Two Types of Disagreement’.
[callout]This one’s more loosely connected than usual. For a reason. Which I hope becomes clear if you make it all the way through.[/callout] 1. In one of those happy coincidences, all my team were on holiday long contracts for two whole weeks. I had the office to myself, room to breathe and time to think. [...] Read more – ‘Thinking Styles’.
[callout]The next 2 or 3 years are looking fairly bleak. How might this affect us? And what should ‘learning organisations’ do about it?[/callout] [headline h="3"]The Black Death[sub_title]And modern-day equivalents[/sub_title][/headline] We’re living in interesting times. Change is the only constant. You have to outlearn your competitors. Business is social. Etc. But, before we start on all [...] Read more – ‘Crooked Spires’.
[callout]Here’s a test for you and your training department (or whatever). I think you’ll fail.[/callout] [headline]Nintendagogy[/headline] Chris Atherton – AKA @finiteattention on The Twitter – points me to a fantastic video of a father and son who sent a camera up into space using a balloon, pretty much for the sheer heck of it. As lots [...] Read more – ‘Context Affects’.
[headline h="3"]Get Granular on Twitter[sub_title]Formal Content Analysis fails to illuminate.[/sub_title][/headline] It’s kind of ironic that I came across this today: Get Granular on Twitter – Tweets from a Conference and their Limited Usefulness for Non-participants (on Scribd, unfortunately – I hate Scribd, am I the only one?) It’s a paper which concludes that – well, [...] Read more – ‘Observable Work’.
[callout]As mentioned previously, I attended Technical Communications UK 2010 in September. I’ve already posted some notes as a delegate. Here’s the talk I gave as a speaker.[/callout] [hr] [headline h="3"]Looking for the full slide deck?[sub_title]Probably only for delegates at TCUK10, as they do not make much sense on their own? Notes are in human readable [...] Read more – ‘Wabi-sabi and learning // TCUK10’.
[callout]This was originally a couple of posts on another blog. I’m moving them here as part of the MASTERPLAN. I no longer remember what all the Mothra business is all about.[/callout] [headline h="3"]Is your business a craft or an industry?[/headline] What many companies don’t realize is that microdecisions — small decisions made many times by [...] Read more – ‘The One Per Cent’.
Yesterday was the annual #elearningdebate at the Oxford Union. I’ve already written a little bit about how this motion was never likely to go anywhere interesting: This house believes that technology-based informal learning is more style than substance. The lameness of this debate is, I think, rooted in our inability to avoid this-is-better-than-that games when we [...] Read more – ‘Substance Matter Experts’.
[headline h="3"]Technology-based informal learning[sub_title]More style than substance?[/sub_title][/headline] Yesterday was the eLearning Debate at the Oxford Union. Jane Hart’s done a bit of a summary here. I guess there’ll be a summary up on YouTube when Epic, the sponsors, get a chance. Here’s the motion: This house believes that technology-based informal learning is more style than [...] Read more – ‘Formal vs Informal Learning: the final battle (Pt 1)’.
There's been a lot of hot air about millenials and Gen Y. This is a smokescreen. What you really need to know is about managing cyborgs. Read more – ‘Managing Cyborgs’.
A talk about emotional content at the Technical Communications UK conference makes me think about the real meaning of the word 'formal' and why this important when we're crafting communications for users (and learners). Read more – ‘Users and formalities’.
[headline h="3"]What can we learn from skunkworks?[sub_title] (And other attempts to manageify innovation)[/sub_title][/headline] Bob Marshall writes about the similarities between (and disappointments of) Agile and Skunkworks: For those unfamiliar with the term, “skunkworks” is widely used in business, engineering, and technical fields to describe a group within an organisation given a high degree of autonomy and unhampered by bureaucracy, [...] Read more – ‘Sexier Skunkworks’.
Jonah Lehrer talks of the banal predictability of the human imagination: In study after study, when people free-associate, they turn out to not be very free. For instance, if I ask you to free-associate on the word “blue,” chances are your first answer will be “sky”. Your next answer will probably be “ocean,” followed by “green” [...] Read more – ‘Auto-education’.
Brain Friendly Trainer is the site of Ally McCullough and Paul Wright. As the name suggests, it’s a training resource. I like the way they write and the way they’re always looking at improving their practice based on evidence. Not the kind of outsourced evidence which you can find people debating on the webs. But [...] Read more – ‘Three Pieces from Brain Friendly Trainer’.
